What Is SSD and How Do I Set Up and Make Use of SSD [Beginners' Guide]

SSD has become a popular disk storage device for both Windows and Mac computer users. However, do you really know what an SSD disk is? What is SSD best for? Follow this guide, and you'll learn how to select an SSD for different purposes and successfully set up an SSD. 

What Is SSD, Types, and Price

According to Wikipedia, the SSD is a storage device that uses flash memory and integrated circuit assemblies to help users persistently store files and data on the drive. Also, it was designed as a secondary storage device for computers. For now, the SSD disk is even more popular than HDDs.

According to a survey created by Tomshardware.com, in Q1 2022, HDDs were shipped as 64.17 million, and SSDs were shipped as 99.438 million. Here is an image that explains the market share of SSDs shipped by different manufacturers:

(Image credit: Trendfocus/StorageNewsletter)

So what is SSD? Do you know about it? Follow to learn more details about it.

SSD History: Introduced by SanDisk in 1991

Popular SSD Types: 

• 1TB or 2TB SSD: For most ordinary users, 1TB is enough for the OS and gaming. 2TB is often for huge media storage.
• Most Widely Used SSD: SATA SSD
• Latest SSD: M.2 NVMe SSD
• Best SSD Brands: Samsung
• Best Portable SSD: Samsung, WD My Passport, and SanDisk Extreme

So what's the best SSD in 2022? Follow this link and get the desired SSD disk.

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So what are the differences between HDD and SSD? Check SSD vs. HDD and understand which is the best for you when it comes to gaming on a computer. 

What Is SSD Best for 

When to use SSD on my computer? And how big storage capacity should I use? Check the tips here:

When Do You Need SSD:

• Speed up the computer from startup.
• Increase computer reading and writing speed.
• Optimize gaming experience with higher smoothness.
• Running huge applications and games, cropping videos, and adding video effects.

256GB, 500GB,1TB, or 2TB SSDs, Which to Select?

The most popular SSDs on the market can be classified into 4 storage capacities: 256GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB.

So when and how to select the right storage capacity for an SSD? Check the list here:

• 250GB - To install or migrate the operating system to SSD only. 
• 500GB - To install OS or migrate some big apps and games to SSD.
• 1TB - To replace the OS drive and move apps to SSD.
• 2TB - To run some big games and super large applications like Adobe Premiere and After Effects., on SSD.

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How to Install, Initialize and Partition SSD in Windows [Set Up SSD]

Note that when you are ready to select an SSD, make sure that your computer has the compatible interface to install the SSD. Once you select a favored SSD disk, you can follow the tutorial guidelines below to install SSD and set it up for installing Windows or gaming. Here we go:

#Guide 1. Install SSD 

Shut down your computer or laptop, and follow the steps here to install the new SSD:

Step 1. Open the back case of your computer or laptop by removing all screws.

Step 2. Find the SSD slot or SATA SSD connection cables.

Step 3. Insert the SSD to the SSD slot or connect SSD to the computer via the connection cables.

Insert SSD to SSD slot:

Install SSD via connection cables:

Step 4. Reboot the computer.

Guide 2. Set Up SSD - Initialize and Partition SSD

To make use of the SSD on your computer for specific purposes, you'll need to follow the steps here to set it up by initializing and partitioning the SSD. 

To Initialize SSD:

If an SSD or HDD disk is not initialized, you'll meet Disk Unknown, Not Initialized, or SSD not showing up error. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and click "Disk Management".

Step 2. Let the Disk Management open, right-click SSD and select "Initialize Disk".

Step 3. Set the disk type for SSD - "GPT" or "MBR".

• GPT - For installing new Windows OS or gaming.
• MBR - To use SSD as a data disk.

To Partition SSD:

To set up SSD for specific usage, you'll need to partition SSD with Disk Management as shown here:

Open Disk Management > Right-click on the unallocated Space in SSD, and select "New Simple Volume..." > Set up the drive letter, file system format, and volume size. And click "Finish".

SSD VS HDD, What's the Difference Between SSD and HDD?

Unalike SSD, HDDs are older but more widely used around the world. So what's the difference between HDDs and SSDs? And which is better for Windows operating systems? 

Here is a comparison table that lists information on SSD vs. HDD, and you can take a view of the content to figure out which is better for you, the SSD or the HDD. Let's check the details here:

According to this table, it's clear that SSDs perform better in reading and writing data. And this makes SSDs an excellent choice for installing the latest Windows on SSD or optimizing the gaming experience with SSD. 

Tutorial: How to Migrate OS from HDD to SSD

If you have decided to use an SSD to replace the HDD on your computer, you may have two needs:

• #1. Clone HDD to SSD 
• #2. Migrate OS to SSD 

How will you be able to do so? Professional partition manager software - Qiling Partition Master with its Migrate OS and Clone features is capable of helping you with these two tasks here.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

#1. Clone HDD to SSD

To completely replace the OS HDD, moving everything to a new SSD, you can use the Clone feature in Qiling Partition Master.

Step 1. Select the source disk.

Right-click the disk that you want to copy or clone. Then, select "Clone".

Step 2. Select the target disk.

Choose the wanted HDD/SSD as your destination and click "Next" to continue.

Step 3. View the disk layout and edit the target disk partition size. 

Then click "Continue" when the program warns it will wipe out all data on the target disk. (If you have valuable data on the target disk, back up it in advance.)

You can select "Autofit the disk", "Clone as the source" or "Edit disk layout" to customize your disk layout. (Select the last one if you want to leave more space for C drive.)

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to start the disk cloning process.

#2. Migrate OS to SSD [Video Guide]

To move Windows OS to an SSD, leaving data on the old hard drive, you can apply the Migrate OS feature in Qiling Partition Master for help.

Steps to migrate OS to HDD/SSD:

• Run Qiling Partition Master, select Migrate OS from the top menu.
• Select the SSD or HDD as the destination disk and click Next.
• Check Warning: the data and partitions on the target disk will be deleted. Make sure that you've backed up important data in advance. If not, do it now.
• Then click Continue.
• Preview the layout of your target disk. Then click Proceed to start migrating your OS to a new disk

Note: The operation of migrating OS to SSD or HDD will delete and remove existing partitions and data on your target disk when there is not enough unallocated space on the target disk. If you saved important data there, back up them to an external hard drive in advance.

Note: It's essential that you configure the new SSD as the boot drive in BIOS after migrating OS to SSD or cloning HDD to SSD so to make sure that the Windows can boot up without any issues.

Bonus Tips: SSD Cleanup and Optimization

Alongside SSD setting up tasks, some SSD users may also have SSD disk cleaning up or optimizing requests. Advanced Windows users can apply Windows File Explorer, Disk Management, or CMD commands to format SSD or erase SSDs on their own.

#1. Format SSD

• Open Disk Management, right-click on the SSD volume you wish to format.
• Select "Format...".
• Set the file system, tick "Perform a quick format" and click "OK".

Repeat the process until you finish formatting all target partitions on the SSD disk. 

#2. Cleanup and Erase SSD

If you want to reset an SSD disk completely, you can apply the erase feature in Windows DiskPart with the clean all command:

• Right-click the Windows icon, and select "Search".
• Type cmd and right-click "Command Prompt" from the search list.
• Type diskpart and hit Enter.
• Type list disk and hit Enter.
• Type select disk * (Replace * with the disk number of SSD.)
• Type clean all and hit Enter.

Tips for Beginners:

If you are a Windows beginner and think the Diskpart commands are hard to remember, you may turn to a third-party SSD erasing tool - like Qiling Partition Master for help. It allows you to securely erase an HDD or SSD within only a few simple clicks. 

#3. Optimize SSD

When it comes to optimizing SSD performance, it won't work out fine without the help of reliable SSD optimizer software. Qiling Partition Master works like an all-in-one SSD cleaning tool and SSD optimizer for all levels of SSD owners.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Here is what you can apply this SSD optimizer do:

• Check and fix file system errors on SSDs.
• Extend and speed up system C drive on SSD.
• 4K Alignment SSD.
• Change cluster size on SS, etc.

SSD Troubleshooting: Fix All Types of SSD Physical and Logical Errors

Aside from daily management on SSD, some of you may also have encountered multiple physical or logical errors on the SSD disks. 

Among these issues, SSD corruption or inaccessibility is one of the most common errors that may occur to any SSD owner.

Reliable partition manager software - Qiling Partition Master is capable of assisting you in checking and fixing file system corruption errors on SSDs and HDDs with ease.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Here we have also collected a range of normal SSD issues and have found the fixes for you to follow:

Error 1. SSD is not showing up

Symptoms: SSD Not Showing Up in Windows file explorer or not detected in BIOS/Disk Management.

Fix: How to Fix M.2 SSD Not Detected (BIOS/Disk Management)

Error 2. SSD Maintenance

Symptoms: SSD crushes, fragile to lose data, low life span on SSDs.

Fix: Tips to Maintain Performance and Extend the Life of Your SSD

Error 3. SSD Trim Recovery

Symptoms: SSD data recovery is impossible with Trim enabled.

Fix: Enable/Disable Trim in SSD and Perform SSD Trim Recovery

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• One for All Guideline: How to Format/Reformat A Hard Drive
• Ultimate Guide: What Is GPT Disk, How to Use GPT in Windows
• What Does Check Disk Actually Do and How to Run Check Disk (CHKDSK) in Windows [Beginners' Guide]